Report: Jake Locker will have shoulder surgery

Posted by Josh Alper on December 31, 2012, 11:10 AM EDT

AP

As of now, it doesn’t look like the Titans will use Black Monday to fire head coach Mike Munchak on the heels of a 6-10 season and part of their reason could be that he didn’t have quarterback Jake Locker available to work with for the entire season.

Locker dislocated his left, non-throwing shoulder twice this season. The injuries resulted in Locker missing five games and parts of two others, a significant chunk of time for a player in his first year as a starter. According to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, Locker will have surgery on the shoulder in the near future in hopes of repairing the injury and perhaps lowering the chances that it will happen again.

Wyatt reports that the surgery is expected to keep Locker out for several months, although there’s a chance he’ll be ready for the team’s minicamps in May.

Locker finished the year with 2,176 yards, 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 54.6 completion percentage in his 11 starts. If the Titans do keep Munchak, a repeat of that season would likely make the Monday after the end of the 2013 season a black one in Nashville.

7 responses to “Report: Jake Locker will have shoulder surgery”

Locker was never healthy in college, either. He is a runner not a scrambler. His style invites too many injuries. His passing is average at best. The Titans need to go for a QB in the off season. They should pencil Locker in as a career backup until he demonstrates he can stay on the field. I doubt he ever will.

I want Locker back but am not as sold on Munchak. I can’t help but wonder what Locker’s first two years would’ve been like if he’d had Jeff Fisher pounding ball control/protection into his head the way he did with Steve McNair.

Speaking of Tennesee’s former NFL MVP QB, I can’t help but recall all the accuracy issues McNair had his first few years. In fact, his 3rd year (his first as the starter), he completed only 52 percent of his passes. So far, Jake Locker reminds me A LOT of the young McNair, including the immense toughness which you cannot teach.

@tennesseeoilers – agree with you 100%. i remember all the idiots calling for mcnair’s head during his early years but some of us knew he had potential to be great. he ended up being most everyone’s favorite player in Titans history. locker may not have the same upside but he’s tough, is a leader, and I want to see how he develops. munchak is a good guy but probably not head coach material.

I watched locker play many games in college, and I laughed my butt off when he was drafted in the first round. This guy will never have a full season due to injuries and he can barely throw the ball. I don’t understand how someone wanted him #8 pick overall!! This is one of the many reasons the titans are a joke

@tennesseeoilers – I agree with you on the surface, but I think there area few major differences. First, McNair came in the league 20 years ago – can you imagine any team sitting a QB for 2 years to develop now? It would never happen – and frankly, with the rules changes, it is much easier for young QBs to succeed early. Locker has to be judged against his peers in the current state of the league.

Second, while the Fisher style might have protected McNair early on, it held him back later. Even in his MVP season, the Titans were near the top of the league in rush attempts despite being near the bottom in yards per attempt. Meanwhile, McNair had a ridiculous yards per attempt average (lead the league by a wide margin), but was limited severely on his attempts. What Locker needs is a coordinator who actually knows how to develop QBs and has the freedom to do it. He doesn’t need Fisher ball to protect him or an inexperienced coach like Loggains to learn with him. The OC hire will determine both Locker and Munchak’s fate going forward.

as a hawk fan and living out here in the PNW watched Locker a lot and he was never acurate. The big worrie was him getting in the correct system. He is a true option QB and great at it. I don’t see him ever being a drop back guy. He is an awesom guy,tough as nails and smart , just needs the right coaches to work out a system for him like pete has done with wilson here in hawk land. im a locker and a hasslebeck fan. After watching what fisher has done with the rams im suprised the titans dumped him. Rams turned it around this year under the Fish.